Let’s venture back in time to just before Donald Trump was officially declared president-elect of the United States of America. At that time, Stephen Colbert concluded his election night special on Showtime with a sober plea for unity and an almost naïve request for a break from political fighting.

Colbert closed with some topics everyone everyone in this country can agree on, admitting that they were indeed “silly” compared to the issues we’re facing. “But in the face of something that might strike you as horrible, I think laughter is the best medicine,” he said. So he went on to opine about ways to eat a Kit Kat and pizza preferences. But he did circle back to the decision at hand eventually: “Above all we as a nation agree that we should never ever have another election like this one.” It’s a notion that almost seems quaint looking back on it some hours later.